In his most forceful remarks since leaving office, former President Joe Biden took direct aim at the Trump administration on Tuesday, accusing it of wreaking "unprecedented havoc" on the federal government—particularly the Social Security Administration (SSA)—in less than 100 days in office.

“This isn’t just policy differences. This is demolition,” Biden declared to a packed ballroom at the annual Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled (ACRD) conference.

“It’s not even about disagreement anymore — it’s about dismantling the safety net millions of Americans rely on to survive.”

The event marked Biden’s first major public appearance since President Donald Trump’s second inauguration in January. For many in attendance, the former president’s speech came as a clarion call in a rapidly shifting political environment, where sweeping executive orders, tech-tinged governance, and the politics of disruption have collided in the heart of American institutions.

At the center of Biden’s address was the Social Security Administration — the federal agency he once referred to as “a sacred promise to the American people.” That promise, he argued, is now under active threat.

“They’ve taken a hatchet to the Social Security Administration,” Biden said, his voice rising. “Seven thousand employees — seven thousand — out the door in just over three months. That’s not reform. That’s sabotage.”

Biden’s claim refers to a controversial Trump executive order issued in February, aimed at "streamlining federal efficiency" through sweeping personnel cuts across several departments. While the administration says the move is about “trimming bureaucratic fat,” critics allege it's a cover for weakening programs the far-right has long sought to dismantle.

The layoffs at SSA, include senior analysts, claims adjudicators, and IT security personnel — many of whom had decades of institutional knowledge. According to union leaders representing SSA employees, the reduction has already led to processing delays, appeals backlogs, and increased security vulnerabilities.

Perhaps more jarring than the layoffs is the administration’s new partnership with the Department of Government Efficiency — a newly formed agency led by Tesla and X Corp. CEO Elon Musk.

The department has reportedly been granted partial access to SSA's digital systems under a memorandum of understanding to “modernize government infrastructure through AI and blockchain.”

Biden didn’t mince words.

“They’ve handed the keys to the Social Security vault to a billionaire tech mogul who thinks government is a joke,” he said. “This isn’t modernization. This is monetization — of your data, your privacy, and your future.”

Civil liberties groups are already sounding the alarm. Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) jointly filed a lawsuit alleging the agreement violates federal privacy laws, including the Privacy Act of 1974 and HIPAA, citing “insufficient transparency, unregulated data transfers, and potential biometric profiling.”

“The American people never voted to give Elon Musk access to their birthdates, disability records, or banking information,” said ACLU attorney Carla Jennings. “This is an illegal overreach cloaked in the language of innovation.”

The White House has brushed off such concerns. At a press briefing Tuesday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed Biden’s critique as “the kind of political theater Americans are tired of.”

“Let me make it very clear,” Leavitt said. “President Trump is absolutely committed to protecting Social Security for law-abiding, taxpaying citizens. What he won’t do is allow waste, fraud, or abuse — or illegal immigrants — to game the system.”

Despite the gravitas of his warnings, Biden peppered his speech with trademark humor, drawing laughs from the crowd with a jab at widely debunked conspiracy theories circulating on pro-Trump media platforms.

“Those 300-year-old folks supposedly getting Social Security checks — I’d love to meet them,” he quipped. “Not because I’m mad, but because I’d like to know their secret. Hell, I’m looking for longevity tips. It’s rough out here when you turn 40.”

The crowd, consisting largely of disability rights advocates, public servants, and policy experts, responded with a standing ovation.

Martin O’Malley, former governor of Maryland and Biden’s appointee as SSA Commissioner, introduced the former president with a sharp critique of Trump’s approach.

“They want to wreck it so they can rob it,” O’Malley said, quoting his own recent testimony before Congress. “This is not about trimming budgets. It’s about transferring wealth from working Americans to the already wealthy under the guise of ‘efficiency.’”

Biden’s speech lands as a broader national debate over entitlement reform heats up.

Trump has signaled openness to means-testing Social Security — a shift from his 2020 pledge to leave the program untouched. Recent leaked memos from the Heritage Foundation, a powerful conservative think tank with ties to the administration, suggest the White House may be exploring privatization models, especially for younger workers.

The political ramifications could be seismic. Social Security remains one of the most popular government programs, with bipartisan support among older voters — a key demographic in upcoming midterms.

According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, 72% of Americans oppose any cuts to Social Security, while 64% believe it should be expanded. The Trump administration's actions, then, may carry significant political risk.

“Trump is gambling with political dynamite,” said Dr. Lena Horowitz, a political scientist at the University of Chicago. “His base skews older. If Biden can reframe this as an attack on retirees, it could become a defining issue in 2026.”

At the heart of this conflict lies a paradox: Trump’s fusion of populist rhetoric with a tech-elite governing model. While railing against the “deep state,” Trump has embraced Silicon Valley titans like Musk and Peter Thiel, granting them access to federal projects ranging from infrastructure to defense contracting.

“Trumpism 2.0 isn’t anti-elite. It’s about replacing one elite with another,” said historian Joshua Green, author of Devils and Demagogues: The Age of American Disruption. “This time, it’s the tech aristocracy.”

That dynamic is unsettling to Biden, who emphasized the human element of governance throughout his speech.

“You can’t automate compassion,” he said. “You can’t code away dignity. There’s no algorithm that understands what it’s like to raise a child with disabilities or bury your father before his time because his benefits got delayed.”

Speculation continues to swirl around Biden’s future. Though he has not announced any political intentions, some Democrats are quietly floating a possible run for Senate — or even a primary challenge in 2028, depending on how Trump’s second term unfolds.

For now, the former president seems content playing the role of elder statesman and moral compass.

“Sometimes, the most patriotic thing you can do is shout when everyone else is whispering,” Biden said in his closing remarks. “This fight isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”

As Biden stepped down from the podium, the room erupted in applause. For a man once accused of being too cautious, too conciliatory, this was a different Biden — sharper, angrier, and, some would argue, more relevant than ever.